ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the lethal dose-50 (LD50) levels of venom in mice, collected by maceration and electrical stimulation from scorpions of Androctonus crassicauda strains. Ten telsons, belonging to Androctonus crassicauda scorpions and 20 live Androctonus crassicauda scorpions were collected in the Şanlıurfa (Harran) region. Ten of these scorpions were euthanized by ether and then their telsons were removed. Venom of the other 10 scorpions was removed by electrical stimulation of 24 V. The randomly chosen telsons were taken from scorpions euthanized by ether and then were used to prepare different venom solutions by maceration. Three of the main venom solutions were administered subcutaneously to 128 6-week old healthy Swiss-Albino male mice weighing about 20 g. The symptoms of toxicosis and the numbers of dead mice were recorded. The LD50 levels of commercial venoms, those made from euthanized scorpions’telsons and those acquired by electrical stimulation were found to be 8 ml/kg, 3.46 ml/kg and 1.5 ml/kg, respectively. Finally, the toxicity of venom, obtained by electrical stimulation was found to be much stronger than the venom obtained by maceration.

Keywords: Androctonus crassicauda, scorpion, venom, lethal dose, mice